Woodblock prints

Often referred to as Ukiyo-e, these are historical Japanese prints made with hand-carved wooden blocks. The technique of using a number of blocks to produce multi-coloured images was developed in the 18th century, but the best-known examples are from the early 19th century: perhaps the "Wave", from Hokusai's Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji is the single Japanese work of art best known in the West. With their brilliant colours, and very different approach to composition, these images had a huge impact when they were discovered by western artists—Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, and others—in the age of impressionism at the end of the 19th century.

Katsushika Hokusai

The artist Katsushika Hokusai is best known for his series of 36 views of Mount Fuji, in the bold and simple style of the Ukiyo-e (or "floating world") style. He changed his name several times, so this is only the best-known of his brush names; as is the tradition, Hokusai is his given name (a fact that has plainly confused at least one art reference book).

The "thirty-six views" of Mount Fuji are the best-known of Hokusai's work... See the Mt. Fuji puzzles page for photo puzzles and more information about Japan's highest mountain.

The most famous of Hokusai's works, these are generally know (as the puzzle is titled) as "Thirty-six view of Mount Fuji." In fact, though, there were a total of 46 of these woodcuts, which are all shown on this puzzle.

The complete series of Hiroshige's famous prints, "The fifty-three stations of the Tokaido." This consists of 55 views in total, one for each of the endpoints in Edo (modern Tokyo) and Kyoto, and one for each of the 53 staging points along the way. The pictures are said to be based on Hiroshige's real experience of the journey in 1832.

Hiroshige (1797 – 1858) was inspired by seeing the landscape images of Hokusai, to whom he became a younger rival. He joined the flourishing Utagawa school, and produced thousands of woodblock prints, using the most advanced techniques of the time. He is most famous for his series "The 53 stations of the Tokaido."

He is usually known as Utagawa Hiroshige, being his brush name within the school, but he was born into a low-ranking samurai family (with the job of fireman), and so is also sometimes known by his real family name, Ando.

The "present day" of course refers to the 18th century: this work was created in around 1793, portraying three famous geisha of the time. Their names are written at the top right (in very hard to read old writing; family names are first of course):

富本豊ひな Tomimoto Toyohina

難波屋きた Naniwaya Kita

高しまひさ Takashima Hisa

Born around 1753, Utamaro was one of the most successful woodblock artists in his own time, specialising in sensuous portraits of women.

The actor Otani Oniji strikes an intense pose in the role of Yakko Edobei. A classic Sharaku kabuki portrait.

Very little of certainty is known about Sharaku (this is his given name, though it is very likely no-one's real name; his family name, Tōshūsai, is rarely used at all). His works, caricatures of kabuki artists, appeared over the space of less than a year from mid-1794, and then he totally disappeared. Theories abound!

Although not as well known as other woodblock artists of his generation, including Hokusai and Hiroshige, Kunisada (1786 – 1865) was in his time the most commercially successful woodblock artist, with a huge output.

He was born Sumida Shōgorō, and when he joined the Utagawa school took part of his brush name Kunisada from his teacher Toyokuni."

The temple is Shōmyō-ji (称名寺), though it is not easy to identify Hiroshige's scene with the current location. But we do notice how central water transport was in the early nineteenth century, both for goods and people.

The title of this series is Kanazawa Eight Views (金澤八景; written from right to left at the top of the picture); this does not refer to the modern city of Kanazawa on the west coast of Japan, but to an old division of the Yokohama area.

Hiroshige (1797 – 1858) was inspired by seeing the landscape images of Hokusai, to whom he became a younger rival. He joined the flourishing Utagawa school, and produced thousands of woodblock prints, using the most advanced techniques of the time. He is most famous for his series "The 53 stations of the Tokaido."

He is usually known as Utagawa Hiroshige, being his brush name within the school, but he was born into a low-ranking samurai family (with the job of fireman), and so is also sometimes known by his real family name, Ando.

A winter scene: Hiroshige's version of one of the renowned "Eight views of Kanazawa" (金澤八景; written from right to left at the top of the picture). This does not refer to the modern city of Kanazawa on the west coast of Japan, but to an area now swallowed up by the city of Yokohama. But the Kanazawa name survives, and there is even a station nearby named Kanazawa-Hakkei ("Eight views").

Hiroshige (1797 – 1858) was inspired by seeing the landscape images of Hokusai, to whom he became a younger rival. He joined the flourishing Utagawa school, and produced thousands of woodblock prints, using the most advanced techniques of the time. He is most famous for his series "The 53 stations of the Tokaido."

He is usually known as Utagawa Hiroshige, being his brush name within the school, but he was born into a low-ranking samurai family (with the job of fireman), and so is also sometimes known by his real family name, Ando.